Apoptygma Berzerk
Soli Deo Gloria

THE REVIEW

Apoptygma Berzerk to the ear might seem like the moniker of a something-metal band, perhaps due to the awkward and distinctly cacophonous cluster of consonants, or due to its vague yet seemingly grandiose meaning. However, this choice of name, not entirely felicitous, conceals a very captivating proposal deserving of analysis and attention: APB is the musical project of a creative and talented Danish musician transplanted to Norway, Stephan Groth, who, starting from this debut dating back to 1993, has been one of the main proponents of that transversal artistic current primarily from Northern Europe, which within a few years would take on the identity and name of futurepop. A scene rich in ideas, sounds, and talent, with electronics and the quest for melodically potent and imaginative compositions as its only adhesive, to which each noteworthy exponent has been able to give a different interpretation based on their own inclinations and sensibilities. To create his futurepop, Stephan Groth used as his starting bases two subgenres very much in vogue in the previous decade, gothic and synth-pop, smoothing the angularities of the former and the redundancies of the latter, with the decisive addition of a secure, simple, and effective rhythmic vigor, and some baroque digressions emphasizing a quest for vision and grandeur, which would prove seminal for the genre's stylistic standards.

Seminal, indeed: all things considered, "Soli Deo Gloria" can be seen as an example of proto-futurepop, still unripe, not yet able to bring together all the stylistic components into a single koinè unlike the early works of Covenant and VNV Nation, but despite its small discrepancies and youth defects, the album overall works well, showcases an excellent melodic potential and simple structures, is immediate and captivating. Among its strengths, it's certainly worth mentioning songs like "Bitch", a very catchy melody that imposes itself effortlessly, buoyed by a great rhythm that's driving and danceable and the right amount of energy with a touch of boldness, adding a pleasant feeling of excitement, the more solemn "Heretic Burnin'", a prototype of a classic futurepop ride with a strong gothic imprint that fascinates with the twilight atmosphere created by the synths, and finally "Stitch" where the singing turns into a malevolent whisper, smoky, hypnotic, and alienating, strongly inspirational for what would be the more cerebral interpretation of FP, perfectly embodied by the Germans Seabound. These three episodes are the masterpieces that make "Soli Deo Gloria" an important and influential album, laying the foundations for a new musical language. Except for these solid pieces, the album thrives on fragments and impromptu solutions, with the most interesting being "ARP (808 edit)", two minutes of synth-pop with filtered voice and a simple and hypnotic melody, a sly and calm moment that starkly contrasts with the dynamic mood proposed and "Like Blood From The Beloved", a brief and evocative instrumental for harpsichord and synths that serves as an intro and, with the addition of gothic choirs, also as an outro, a solution of great class and excellent result, perhaps slightly misleading compared to the true nature of the album. Another interesting episode is "Backdraft" with its elaborate and obsessive rhythmic base, steeped in a characteristic feeling of unease and disorientation that brings it much closer to the classic style of futurepop compared to "Bitch" or "Heretic Burnin'", while "Ashes To Ashes" appears more suited to a live dimension given its rhythmically simple structure, decidedly punk-influenced, well-supported by Groth's declamatory and driving singing.

And now we come to the sore notes, or youthful defects if you prefer; as I already said, "Soli Deo Gloria" fails to develop a true overall vision, and for this reason, the interludes "Walk With Me" and "The Sentinel" do not add much except confusion, just as the seven minutes of "Skyscraping", too fragmentary and subject to sudden and poorly connected tempo changes to not sound like a cut and sewn jam session, experimenting with interesting rhythmic and effect solutions, proposing solid hi-nrg grooves and pleasantly acid vocals, but for theoretically being the album's most ambitious element, it decidedly lacks maturity and craftsmanship; for the rest, "Spiritual Reality" proves somewhat monotonous and melodically poor to be convincing and the Velvet Underground cover "All Tomorrow's Parties" slips away without leaving a mark. Considering the undeniable merits and historical importance for this niche genre, it's worth rounding my evaluation upward, but this is one of those cases where the absence of half votes or alternatively a base 10 rating scale is regrettable, in which "Soli Deo Gloria" would earn a full and deserved 7; we are presented with an album of sketches: outlines, ideas, and attempts, some excellent and others somewhat less so, a phase of sound design and identity construction still halfway needing further development, but still, it's already a good record overall, smooth, that can be listened to with pleasure, enriched by notable episodes, a great rhythmic section with excellent drum parts, and a versatile and charismatic singing, ultimately "Soli Deo Gloria" hints at a future rich in satisfactions for Stephan Groth and company.